Burner assembly



J l 3- c. E. PARKER 2,301,063x

BURNER AS SEMBLY Filed A ril 1. '1940 TTO ways Patented Jams, 1943 I iUNITED STATES PATENT oFFIcE BURNER ASSEMBLY Claude E. Parker, Chicago,Ill., assignor to Gas Products Corporation, Chicago, 111., a corporationof Illinois The invention relates to burner assemblies for use incooking tops of gas ranges or cookstoves.

One of the simplest and most popular types of gas range top burners atthe present time is the so-called round burner, that is, a burner havingan interiorly chambered annular upper portion or head with a continuousring of peripheral ports in it for the emission of fuel. Over such aburner is customarily located a grate embodying a set of utensilsupporting fingers lying along radii from the central axis of the head.To insure safe support for a small utensil it is requisite that theinner portions of these grate fingers overlie the burner head itself. Insuch case, however, the porcelain enamel or other finish on the ratefingers is burned off, particularly in the areas on which the flamesissuing from the underlying head impinge directly. Not only does thegrate, in consequence, soon become unsightly, but the resultantroughening of its surface where the finish is burned away makes it hardto clean.

Generally stated, the object of the present invention is to provide aburner assembly of the type set forth including a utensil supportingstructure and a burner head which, though falling generally in the classof round heads and having their various advantages of simplicity,compactness, etc. has, however various novel structural features socorrelated with the utensil supporting structure as to obviate anydirect.

fiame impingement on the latter and burning off of the finish from thesame and in which the head is, furthermore, of such character that itcan be lighted from a single automatic lighter mechanism of conventionalform.

In carrying out the present invention I have, in the exemplaryconstruction, arranged the fuel emission ports in a series of groups orzones circumferentially spaced about the periphery of a round burnerhead. By locating the utensil supporting fingers above the blank spacesbetween the groups of ports the flames from the latter are Additionally,the utensil supporting fingers are prevented from impinging directly onthe fingers and burning off their finish. To make possible such asegregation of they ports while retaining suificient heating capacitywithout substantially enlarging the head diameter and while stillinsuring proper lighting of all of the ports from a single lightermechanism, a series of cross lighting slots has been provided in the topof the burndesirably made integral with a cast metal annulus of shallowbowl shape and encircling the burner head so that the heat will bequickly dissipated from the fingers to the mass of metal in the bowl,thereby efiectually limiting the maximum temperature of the fingers andprotecting the finish on them.

Further objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent asthe following description proceeds, taken in connection with theaccompanying drawing in which: I

Figure 1 is a plan view of a burner assembly embodying the invention,

Fig. 2 is a transverse sectional view taken substantially along the line2--2 in Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a detail side elevation of the upper portion of the burnerhead.

While the invention is susceptible of various modifications andalternative constructions, I have shown in the drawing and will hereindescribe in detail the preferred embodiment, but it is to be understoodthat I do not thereby intend to limit the invention to the specific formdisclosed, but intend to cover all modifications and alternativeconstructions falling within the spirit and scope of the invention asexpressed in the appended claims.

Referring more particularly to the drawing the illustrative constructionembodies a round type burner head designated generally as H] andcomprising an interiorly chambered generally annular upper portion. Thishead is peripherally ported as indicated at H for the emission of fuelsupplied to the chambered interior of the head through the usual systemof valve-controlled supply conduits (not shown). 'Flames issuing fromthe ports II are directed laterally and upwardly from the head to thebottom of a utensil above the same.

To support utensils above the burner head I0 three utensil supportingfingers l2 are utilized. These fingers lie along equidistant radii fromthe central axis of the head and it will be obse ved that their innerend portions. (see Fig. 1) project inwardly above the burner head itselfso as to support effectually a utensil of even very small diameter.Desirably the fingers l2 are formed integrally with a cast metal annulusI 4 of shallow bowl shape which encircles the burner head. The outerends of the fingers l2 are projected beyond the periphery of the bowl [4and overlie a top panel I6 of the stove which has a suitable roundaperture in it to receive the burner assembly, the bowl l4 being restedon lugs in the top plate.

Also integral with the bowl or annulus ll are bosses I! locatedintermediate the fingers l2 and forming auxiliary utensil supports.These bosses I! are set back from the burner head ill a sumcientdistance that there is no direct flame impingement on them but theyserve, however, to prevent an improperly placed utensil on the fingers12 from falling into the bowl'in the spaces between the fingers and alsoaid in supporting the bottoms of utensils which are limber or inclinedto sag. The bowl It, with its integral fingers i2 and bosses i1, may bemade, for example, of cast iron and coated with porcelain enamel to giveit a glossy finish of pleasing appearance.

In order to protect the finish on the utensil supporting fingers l2, andparticularly their portions which project above the burner head, thefuel emission ports I i in the head have been se regated or grouped inthree zones A, B and C located intermediate respective ones of thefingers (Fig. 1). The inner ends of the fingers i2 are thus locatedabove blank or unported portions of the head l so that no flames issuingfrom the latter will impinge directly on the fingers to burn ofi theirfinish.

As so far described, the burner head would be wholly unacceptable forregular commercial use since the trade today demands that all topburners be capable of ignition from a single automatic lightermechanism. The segregation of the ports in into groups or zones,however, would prevent the propagation of flames between the groups sothat a separate lighter mechanism would be required for each group, anextremely expensive and wholly impractical arrangement. In the exemplaryconstruction the segregation of the groups of ports is particularlycomplete for they are not only arranged in spaced groups around the headbut, in addition, the fingers l2 in the bowl i4 divide the surface ofthe latter into separate and non-communicating pockets into which flamesfrom the respective groups of ports are discharged. To solve thisdifiiculty I have provided means for cross lighting between the groupsof ports so that a single lighter mechanism, disposed eitherperipherally or centrally of the head, may be used to ignite the fuelissuing from all of the ports II. For this purpose inwardly extendingsaw slots l8 have been formed in the top of the head Ill generallycentrally of each of the groups of ports A, B and C. Since there is anupdraft of secondary air through the open center of the burner headprovision has been made for carrying the slots l8 inward toward thecenter a sufiicient distance that this draft of air will not preventpropagation of flame between the adjacent inner ends of the slots. Tothis end hollow inwardly extending bosses i9 have been formed in thehead and the slots l8 carried alon the tops of these bosses. Gaseousfuel is, of course, supplied to the slots l8 through the chamberedinterior of the head and from the interior of the bosses l9, which openinto the head at their outer ends (Fig. 2).

With the cross lighting arrangement between the groups of portsdescribed above, fuel issuing from all of the apertures in the head canbe effectually ignited from a single lighter mechanism of conventionalform (not shown) located either at the center of the head or at anydesired point about its periphery. For example, if the lighter mechanismis arranged to ignite fuel issuing from the outer end of the slot I8 inthe center of the 'group of ports A the flame will then be propagatedfrom port to portthroughout group A. Furthermore, the fuel issuingthroughout the length of this slot It will be lighted and the flame willflash across to the other slots ll lighting the fuel issuing from them,and, similarly, the flame will then be propagated from port to portthroughout the groups B and 0.

Not only do the slots ll serve to accomplish complete lighting of all ofthe segregated groups of ports as described. but they also addmaterially to the heating capacity of the burner head. The flamesissuing from the slots I! continue to burn, of course, during theoperation of the burner and effectually heat the most central portion ofa utensil on the fingers l2. The slots ll thus more than compensate forthe diminution in capacity resulting from omitting ports beneath theinner ends of the utensil supporting fingers. Accordingly. it isunnecessary to enlarge the head diameter to make room for moreperipheral ports in order to compensate for those omitted beneath thefingers l2. Correlated with this same problem is that of the number ofutensil fingers arranged to extend over the head. Three are provided inthe illustrative construction since that is the minimum requisite forstable support of the utensil. If more are used it becomes almostimpossible to provide a requisite number of peripheral ports in theintervening portions of the head without enlarging the head diameter.Three fingers, no more and no less, is therefore clearly an importantoptimum number.

In the operation of the apparatus described, a mixture of gaseous fueland primary air is supplied to the burner head ill in the usual mannerand issues from the ports H as well as from the saw slots l8. When thefuel supply is turned on the automatic lighter mechanism issimultaneously actuated in the usual manner and flame is propagatedbetween all of the fuel emission apertures H and [8 as described above.'Secondary air is supplied not only through the open center of the headbut also through an annular flue space 20 defined between the head andthe inner edge of the bowl [4. It should be noted here, incidentally,that the lower lip or edge of this bowl is curled upwardly (Fig. 2) soas to trap any liquids which inadvertently spill or drip into the bowl.

Since the fuel emission apertures in the head III are disposed in spacedzones intermediate the projecting inner ends of the utensil supportingfingers i 2 any possibility of direct flame impingement on the latter isobviated and their finish protected. Further protection againstover-heating of the fingers i2 is afforded by virtue of the fact thatthey are fashioned integrally with the cast metal bowl l4. Since thelatter is of substantial mass and, intimately connected with thefingers, heat generated in the fingers is quickly dissipated through themass of metal in the bowl and the temperature of the fingers thusminimized.

I claim:

1. In a gas range cooking top, the combination of a burner head havingan annular top portion with an open center and a plurality of fuelemission apertures in the head disposed in circumferentially spacedzones about its periphery, a plurality of utensil supporting fingersextending radially of the head and projecting inward over the head atspaced points intermediate said zones, whereby direct impingement onsaid fingers of flames issuing from said emission apertures is obviated,said head having a plurality of hollow bosses thereon projecting inwardinto the open center thereof and located intermediate successive ones ofthe fingers, and said head having fuel emission slots in the top thereofrunning from the central portion of the fuel emission apertures in eachzone inward along the adjacent bosses, the inner ends of said slotsbeing sufliciently close together for the propagation of flametherebetween for ignition of fuel issuing from all of the apertures andslots in the burner head from a single point.

2. In a gas range cooking top, the combination of a burner head havingan annular top portion with an open center and a plurality of fuelemission apertures disposed in circumferentially spaced zones about theouter periphery of said annular top portion, a plurality of utensilsupporting fingers projecting radially inward over the head at spacedpoints intermediate said zones whereby direct impingement on saidfingers of I flames issuing from said apertures is obviated, said topportion of the head further having fuel emission means disposedintermediate successive ones of said fingers and extending radiallyinward from the fuel emission apertures in each zone, said radiallyextending fuel emission means terminating centrally of the burner headin sufficiently close proximity for the propagation of flametherebetween whereby the fuel emission apertures of the several zonesmay be ignited from a single point.

CLAUDE E. PARKER.

